South Caribbean Adventures: Caribeans Coffee and Chocolate Factory & Mighty Rivers Ice Cream & CoffeeShop

NOTE: I scheduled this post to go up... We are settling into our new home in Honduras right now, please keep us in your prayers. Head over to our RO4Y blog and read about the awesome things that have happened! Enjoy and thank you!

Green coffee beans freshly roasted, handmade chocolates, raw ice cream, natural peanut butter, raw honey, locally-made coconut oil, homemade Colloidal Silver and Kombucha... Caribeans Coffee & Chocolate Factory  and Mighty Rivers Ice Cream Shop has it all!

With the ocean right across the street... this is the place where you can relax, enjoy the smells of coffee and chocolate wafting through ocean breeze and find good company. This casual & hippy spot is owned by Paul (met him at the market!) and his wife who love the Lord and are very involved with the local community. Everything in their shop are from local, organic sources and fair-trade... totally my kind of place! I think I mentioned before that I used to work at a local coffee shop in Des Moines for about 3 years. I LOVED that job, they roast their beans several times a week and Julie (owner) was the coolest boss ever (and still is!). If you are in the area... stop by and enjoy some delicious coffee made with real cocoa, local milk and fair-trade coffee!

Anyway, while we were there... they were making bars of their baker's chocolate right in the back and the smell was HEAVENLY! I totally forgot that you CAN buy real chocolate with 100% cocoa butter fat from these guys (but not from CHOCORART). You can also purchase their delicious, organic & fair-trade coffee which they roast right in the back along with their chocolates. Purchasing their coffee & chocolate will help them support the local people and their work.

Now, the ice cream they serve is made locally at Mighty Rivers Farm which we stayed at overnight on the way to Puerto Viejo. We also stayed there on the way back and enjoy our time there. I will be writing up a post about their farm soon! Meanwhile, I stuffed myself with their ice cream... made with their own fresh milk and local ingredients. They really go far to bring the best, freshest & natural ice cream on the Caribbean-side of Costa Rica. You won't find this kind of ice cream anywhere else in Costa Rica!

From the left: Colloidal silver (They made it!), organic raw honey, organic raw banana vinegar and locally-made coconut oil.

This is where they roast their beans and make their chocolates. Tabi decided to check out their roaster  :o)

LOVE their coffee bags... totally COOL!

They brew their own Kombucha and on the sign lists all the benefits of drinking 'bucha. Love that stuff! Its a buck for a 1oz shot...

Paul & his wife and their handmade chocolates. So GOOD!

The menus... they serve 14 different flavors of ice cream and have a breakfast/lunch menu that is very simple. We had breakfast there, but the chocolates, coffee and ice cream are the main focus there!

Daddy kissing his baby girl  :o)

Naomi getting a bite out of Grandpa's ice cream... I think he got Maracuya (Passionfruit)

Caught Dave (my father-in-law) attacking his ice cream... yeah its so good! Jon ordered the Black Beach  Shake... which had their coffee, vanilla ice cream and fresh chocolate all whipped in there and topped with more chocolate sauce. VERY similar to what I had at Bread & Chocolate, but I thought B&C was better  ;o)

After breakfast... Here I am eating THREE scoops of ice cream. Yeah, I love ice cream and I loved it even more that it is made with fresh raw milk! Many of you might be wondering if I gained some weight after eating all that good food and ice cream... nope, I did not gain a single pound. Honestly, cross my heart! We were riding our bikes the whole time and that burned everything off! Besides, when we eat good REAL food... weight-gain is very unlikely to happen  :o)

Top: Chocolate Macadamia  Middle: Coconut  Bottom: Mango

I ate every bite, felt no guilt and loved it!! LOL! My all-time favorite is the coconut. I gotta figure out HOW to make coconut ice cream in my kitchen! I tried once, but it wasn't the same... need to keep trying  :o)

While we were enjoying ourselves... I saw 3 horses walking along the beach. It was a beautiful sight! They had no halters or ropes on them... made me wondered if anybody owned them. The dark bay horse (middle) let me approach him and I gave him some love. He was a real sweetie... the gray was a stand-offish, but she did smell me a little. I also got to love on the little guy and he was adorable! I was surprised that he let me touch him and rub his back. Obviously someone has been working with him and lets the horses roam freely.


I had to share this with you... how often does that happen?!


Anyway, sorry if I'm starting to sound like a broken record here... but if you are ever in the area, this place is worth stopping by. Enjoy some fresh coffee, chocolate or ice cream right on the beach! Maybe you'll even see those horses again  :o)

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South Caribbean Adventures: Celia's Hair Braiding

NOTE: I scheduled this post to go up... We are traveling to Honduras right now, please keep us in your prayers. Head over to our RO4Y blog and read about the awesome things that have happened! Enjoy and thank you!


I couldn't share about our Caribbean adventures without telling you about Celia. She is a sweet sister in Christ and did a FANTASTIC job with my braids. I've had braids (extensions) done on my hair twice before and loved it, but it never lasted more than 2 or 3 weeks. This time, my hair was longer and her excellent skill with hair braiding made it last more than 6 weeks! I could've let it go for longer, but I was ready to have my normal hair back. I was also thrilled with how good her prices are because my previous hair braiding experiences weren't cheap. Plus, it was done in about 3 1/2 hours... of course, her cool daughter helped too!


Getting my hair done was my early birthday gift from my hubby... Thanks babe!

About 1/3 done! See the fake hair on the chair behind me... that's mine!

Are we done yet?!

Almost done!

Celia SO good that it hurts... literally. Not the whole time, just in the soft spots and my scalp was feeling a little tender from being pulled on for almost 4 hours!

Celia discovered a great trick on how to make the ends stay & looking natural. Typically, they would burn the ends or tie with rubber bands to keep the the braids from coming out, but she simply brought out a jug of boiling HOT water and dipped the ends in it. You could smell the plastic hair "melting". I loved it because it looked more natural and not one braid ever came undone the whole time I had them in.

Above is Celia and below is her daughter, Andrea. Thank you girls for the fantastic job!

Now, if you are ever in the Puerto Viejo area... make sure to stop by her place. She can do more than extensions and she is a doll! After we finished up... we head out to eat at Chile Rojo. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't something to rave about. Here's a great back shot of my hair that my hubby took of me and you can see Tabi rocking out to the music :o)

Blessings and hugs,

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South Caribbean Adventures: Café Viejo Italian Restaurant

NOTE: I scheduled this post to go up... We are traveling to Honduras right now, please keep us in your prayers. Head over to our RO4Y blog and read about the awesome things that have happened! Enjoy and thank you!


I have a confession to make… Italian food is my comfort food and I know good Italian food when I taste it. This was the best I’ve ever had… seriously.


Puerto Viejo has a large Italian population and several Italian restaurants to choose from. We decided to go to Café Viejo because they have a large menu of fresh pizzas, handmade pasta, good prices and a great reputation. I went for the handmade pasta while my hubby went for a pizza. My in-laws each got handmade pasta too and we ate every single noodle & pizza on our plates. The food portions were very generous and it was above and beyond our expectations... even my in-laws couldn't believe how good it was and they live near Chicago!


We were served fresh italian bread along with olive oil & balsamic vinegar throughout our meal. Our salads topped with mangos was very refreshing, but I have to talk about the handmade pasta. It was thick, chewy and extremely tasty. I don’t usually get homemade pasta because it would often taste starchy and unappealing, but these were nothing but the best! They make their pasta fresh everyday and use the freshest ingredients! I was thrilled to learn that the owners, 3 brothers, learned to cook at the knee of their Italian grandmother back in Rimini. We all know how important it is to preserve our grandmothers' & great-grandmothers' cooking! Everything they make is 100% authentic with a few Caribbean twists thrown in here & there.


I chose handmade pasta tossed with fresh veggies, fresh basil and olive oil with a touch of freshly ground black pepper and parmesan cheese. It was deliciously moist and full of flavor. I was VERY happy with the pasta and literally at the whole plate. My past experience with this kind of dish usually came out to me dry and not very flavorful, but these guys made it perfetto e delizioso!

Next, Jon ordered the Caribbean Pizza and it was very unusual, but delicious! I MUST make this for you all sometime, but that means I have to keep the ingredients a secret for now… he he :o)

My in-laws each order handmade pasta with different sauces. I can't remember what they were, but I do remember them eating every bite till their plates were clean. They live in a very Italian neighborhood and have been to plenty of italian restaurants around Chicago area that claim to be the best. They said Cafe Viejo was the best they've ever had!


If you are anywhere near Puerto Viejo... I HIGHLY recommend stopping by this place. You will experience a little bit of Italy right in the small Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo! They do not serve lunch, only dinner and they are close on Tuesdays.

Here I am eating the last few bites of my pasta and pizza... I STUFFED myself! Both girls were wiped out on my lap. We were at the beach earlier that afternoon and they missed their naps... how can they nap when they have too much to do at the beach?!  LOL!

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Last Day to Sign-Up for Wardeh's e-Course!

NOTE: I scheduled this post to go up... We are traveling to Honduras right now, please keep us in your prayers. Head over to our RO4Y blog and read about the awesome things that have happened! Enjoy and thank you!

Today is the last day to sign up for Wardeh's GNOWFGLINS Fundamentals eCourse! If you are still interested in joining in... remember that the enrollment closes at 5pm PST TODAY!


If you haven't yet... please check out the follow links:

• eCourse FAQs
• What if you have dietary restrictions?
• Sneak Peak Video: Make Easy Whole-Grain Soaked Muffins!
• Tips for Establishing and Maintaining Routines

I am thrilled to find out that some of you have already signed up and look forward to "hearing" from you about your classes. Please don't hesitant to share your thoughts about the e-Course... we want to know about it!


Learn. Grow. Love Real Food

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JMN Videos: Just Making 'Soaked & Ready' Oats

Hello everyone! How are you all doing? We are doing great! We have been busy de-cluttering, selling our big things, giving away things, packing and getting ready to move to Honduras. I can't believe we will be driving across part of Costa Rica, through Nicaragua and part of Honduras to our new HOME SWEET HOME! Please keep us in your prayers for safe traveling and good health for all of us. We need... no, we WANT your prayers!

Before I get going, I want to remind you all that GNOWFGLIN's e-Course ends on Feb 22nd at 5pm PST! If you haven't signed up yet... hurry along and sign up. You will not regret it, I promise! Wardeh has set up an e-Course FAQs page for those of you who have questions. If you haven't yet, please check out her Sneak Peak Video: Basic Soaked Muffins. Plus, she has released a freebie for you all: "13 Tips for Maintaining and Establishing New Routines". I am excited for Wardee that things are going so well with the e-Course and believe that it will be a success!

Now, today I am going to share my first two videos showing how I make the 'Soaked & Ready' Oats. One of my readers, Jessica, emailed me asking if I could show the process step by step with pictures to make sure she is doing it right... I was more than happy to help her out, but decided a video would be easier, fun and more personal! Hope this helps you out, Jessica!

Below is the recipe and I made a few changes now that I've been making this on a regular basis. I have found the oats to be better tasting & less sour when I drain them before drying them. They also come off the wax/parchment paper much easier along with using coconut oil. Also, this was my first time drying the oats in the oven because Jessica said she uses her oven to make the S&R Oats. I wanted to see how mine came out so I could better help her and those who don't own dehydrators.

Hope you enjoy the videos!

'Soaked & Ready' Oats

• 4 cups rolled oats (NOT instant)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 5- 8 Tbsp. whey, lemon/lime juice, kombucha, kefir or yogurt

Warm 2 cups of water in a saucepan (don't use a microwave) till warm to touch. Do not let it boil! Add in 2 cups of tepid water and set aside.


Pour the oats into a large glass bowl and gently mix in the water and acid medium (whey, etc..). Cover the bowl with a towel or plate & let it sit overnight in your oven or on your counter (wherever you have space).


Important: Let it soak for 12 - 24 hours... 12 hours is okay, but I always soak mine for 24 hours to reduce the phytic acid as much as possible.


Drain the oats in a sieve for about 5-10 minutes. While the oats are draining, get your parchment/wax paper ready & rub coconut oil (or other) on your parchment/wax paper.


Spread the oats on oiled parchment paper in your tray or cookie pan (for oven drying) and put in dehydrator set on the highest temp (if you have that option... I don't, so I just turn it on) until completely dry. It can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours... depending on your dehydrator and the weather. You can dry the oats in your oven set on the lowest temperature. The lowest my oven went was somewhere between 200 - 250 F and it came out wonderful!


When the oats are dried, you will be able to break them into chunks. You can break them up more with your hands or put the chunks in your food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely ground (kinda like oatmeal flakes). Don't grind it too fine unless you want oat flour.


Pour the oats in a sealed container and store in your fridge or in a cool, dark place.

Ta-daaa! There you go... you have 'Soaked & Ready' Oats for satisfying your urge to have a quick bowl of cereal, make cookies or whip up some delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Ice Cream! Remember, you can make this however much you want. When I make the S&R Oats for the week, I usually use about 8 cups of rolled oats. Just make sure you add everything up correctly.

Please excuse my nervous deaf accent. Yeah, its my first time and I'm not to fond of video cameras... BUT I did have fun putting this together and hope to do more in the near future! 

After making the first video... I thought it would be good to show the great results of the oats that were dried in the oven. They came out perfectly crunchy and crumbling. I didn't even need to put them in my food processor! Now, I know for sure that using the oven works just as well as using a dehydrator. Oh, don't mind my crazy hair... I had just gotten out of the shower! LOL!

Now, do you have a particular recipe or food preparation that you would like me to do a step by step video of? Please let me know... even if I don't have it on my blog yet. I am open to ideas!


Hugs,

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! @ Food Renegade.

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My First Sourdough Success & Questions

I am so excited! This is my 1st sourdough success and second try at making it. I am very please with how it came out. I used a "no-knead"... well, more like "minimal-knead" sourdough recipe that I found through Wardeh's blog, which she found it on Millie's blog. THANKS GALS!!


My first time making sourdough... I used 100% rye flour and no wheat. DUH! I felt so stupid after I figured out that I needed the wheat for the gluten to help rise the bread. The dough was a hard brick ball that I ended up giving to my chickens to feast on. They loved it and it was gone by the end of the day  :o)


Now, my second try... I decided to go with Millie's minimal-knead recipe because it sounded like a good beginner's step towards perfecting the skill of sourdough making. Overall, everything went great and bread tastes wonderfully sour. It is a little dense because I used a little too much flour. The dough was so wet and I couldn't work with it a lot. I have questions about that below...


What starter did I use? I used a Swedish Rye sourdough starter that I purchased from Cultures for Health.


Why the Swedish Rye? Because I am part Swedish and thought it would be great to make & eat sourdough that I know my favorite Grammie Marillyn (yes, I have her name) made back in her young days.


So, I have a few questions for all those who are sourdough experts and those who are learning right along with me  :o)


With the "no-knead" is it normal for it to be very wet?


Which do you prefer... "no-knead" or "yes-knead"? Why?


How should I store my loaves?


Do you have a "favorite" sourdough recipe?


What are your favorite flours to work with?


Please share your tips, websites, advises and recipes! Because I want to try different styles of sourdough making till I find "the one" that would become my weekly sourdough bread. I also want to study more about sourdough and its benefits. A good friend once told me "Sourdough is the King!"... so true!


Looking forward to reading up what you all have to say! I hope others will learn along with me as I explore the world of sourdough making.



This is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet!

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South Caribbean Adventures: The CHOCORART Chocolate Tour (Part 2)

Here are more pictures of the Chocorart Chocolate Tour! I still have too many pictures, but these are what I will share with you  :o)

If you have NOT read about the tour... please go here and enjoy! You will be amazed at how simple the process is! I bought some cacao that has been fermented and dried. Now I just need to roast them and make chocolate paste!

Now, enjoy the pictures and let me know if you have any questions!

Where we all met before the tour.

The cocoa roaster.

The flower of the cacao! Beautiful is it? Smelled wonderful too.

My hubby took this picture... the web is amazing!

The pulp of the cacao... delicious!

Naomi found a cacao that she decided wanted to carry it around.

Jon and Naomi learning from Marcus about the process of making chocolate.

Cacao beans drying in the sun.

Cacao nibs.

After walking through the jungle, we were all thirsty of course. They served fresh hot chocolate that was out of this world delicious! Better than the powder form and THICK!

Tabi had to have her own cup. She loved it!

Roasting the cacao (now called cocoa).

Cracking the shells to get the cocoa nibs out.

grinding the cocoa nibs to make chocolate paste.

After grinding the nibs, they put it in their roasting pan and added organic raw sugar. They gently cook the chocolate paste to melt the cocoa butter to make their chocolates.

Serving the delicious chocolate goop.

When the chocolate mixture cools they usually add flavors and then start rolling the chocolate into logs.

We sampled many different flavors... coffee, coconut, orange and mint.

Their chocolate all beautifully wrapped up and ready to sell.

They also make their own Banana Vinegar! I asked them how they do it and I am planning to try it out soon. Will let you know how it goes  :o)

This gal's camera broke, so she sketched her "pictures" throughout the whole tour. She had some pretty amazing drawings! Love how she didn't let her broken camera stop her from keeping memories.

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